1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to methods and apparatus for electronic data transmission, and in particular to a system and method for efficiently and accurately transmitting information on a data bus in the presence of noise.
2. Background Information
A data bus commonly consists of lines for transferring data words between devices within a computer. A data word is made up of data bits transmitted as varying voltages on the data bus lines. Noise, interference, or other events such as ground voltage shifts between transmitter and receiver alter the signal such that what is sent may not be what is received. The possibility of signal alteration, whether or not it actually occurs, creates a need for ways to improve signal integrity. Both hardware and software solutions have been considered in the development of accurate data transmission methods.
One method of improving signal integrity is to run a separate ground line between the transmitter and receiver. The ground line voltage is used as a reference voltage. The difference between the data signal received at the receiver and the ground line voltage at the receiver is used to determine the signal polarity. One problem with this method is that it is not precise—the margin of error inherent in measuring voltage levels at the receiver may either mask or exaggerate voltage level variations due to noise. In addition, since there is no signal being driven down the ground line, the ground line voltage may be affected differently by the interfering source, again potentially masking or exaggerating transmission errors. Many applications have a need, however, for highly accurate message transfer.
Another message verification method is to run a differential line for each data line. According to this method there are two lines for every channel between the transmitter and the receiver. The first line carries the signal and the second line carries the complement of that signal (for example, where the first line value is ‘1’, the second line value is ‘0’). The message being transferred is represented by the difference between the two signals. Any ground voltage shifts occurring during transmission equally affect both lines, so there is no net effect on the message because the difference between the two lines remains constant. One of the primary benefits of this method is that it requires no local reference value. The weakness is that it doubles the number of required transmission lines. With the continual push to manufacture devices with more elements and smaller overall size, there is a need to achieve a higher level of signal accuracy with minimal hardware overhead requirements.